Cutting it with the boys

Starting her career in her native Slovenia, Vanja Drasler knew it would be tough for a female superintendent in an industry dominated by men.

“At the start it was really hard,” she says. “The guys didn’t expect me and I had to work double to show them that I could do it.”

One of those guys told her she wouldn’t be able to cut straight lines on a green and that she would be better off working in the office.

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But with experience in the United States and Europe, cutting the greens at some of the best tournaments in the world – including the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and the Dunhill Links Championship on the Old Course St Andrews – she was able to return home and show her former colleagues what she had achieved.

Now, she is inspiring other female turf professionals to achieve their professional goals.